With grief comes unity. The results of the 2024 presidential election have left many women with a heavy weight of anxiety as we mourn the loss of our potential first female president, and debates around women’s fundamental rights are left in Donald Trump’s hands. The uncertainty of our nation’s future can feel nothing less than daunting. Still, it is a call to find strength in the voices of our generation who are unafraid to speak out, Billie Eilish being a prime example.
Though it’s been two years since Billie Eilish initially released her single “TV” on July 21st 2022, the song’s popularity has resurfaced post-election. Clips from her recent live performances have gone viral on TikTok, predominantly her reference to reproductive rights: “The internet’s gone wild watching movie stars on trial / While they’re overturning Roe v. Wade.” In a fan-captured video of Eilish’s Nashville performance on the night of Nov. 6, the audience can be heard from miles away, and the lyrics’ emotional significance is so overwhelming that she had to end the song prematurely, unable to fight through tears.
Billie has consistently advocated for the rights of women and openly expressed her disappointment following the presidential election. During the same performance, Eilish spoke to an intense audience, “I kind of couldn’t really fathom doing the show on this day, but the longer the day went on, I kind of had this just feeling of like it’s such a privilege that I get to do this with you guys and that we have this in a time like right now.”
During the initial release of the song, the U.S. Supreme Court had recently made the decision to abandon its duty of protecting fundamental rights and overturned Roe v. Wade, ruling there is no federal constitutional right to abortion. A decision that left many women feeling exactly how they do now – terrified.
What makes “TV” so impactful, however, goes beyond politics. Through lyrics like “I’ll try not to starve myself /Just because you’re mad at me” and “Now all of my friends are missing again /’Cause that’s what happens when you fall in love”, Eilish touches on deeply personal issues—mental health, eating disorders, unhealthy relationships—that disproportionately affect women, especially young women. In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with impossible standards and expectations, Billie’s openness about these struggles creates a connection that feels intimate and real to the universal experiences of so many women. She’s not afraid to say the things we feel too ashamed to talk about, and her vulnerability serves as a voice for all of us.
Beyond her music, Billie has also been vocal about her own struggles with body image, openly discussing the pressure women face to meet unrealistic beauty standards. In her song “Your Power,” she tackles the issue of power dynamics, calling out the way women are exploited and objectified in relationships and the wider culture. It’s this willingness to speak uncomfortable truths that makes Billie such a powerful figure for young women—she’s not just singing about these issues, she’s living them, and she’s not afraid to call them out.
In a time when women’s rights are on the line, Billie Eilish’s “TV” isn’t just a song—it’s a rallying cry. Her lyrical genius captures the raw fear, anger, and disillusionment many of us feel. She doesn’t sugarcoat it, and neither can we. “TV” resonates because it gives words to our reality—our pain, our anger, and our refusal to back down. Voices like Billie’s are a reminder that this isn’t the time for passive hope, it’s time for action.